Accountant Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is sent to prison in the Forties for the murder of his unfaithful wife & her lover, despite protesting his innocence. He slowly comes to terms with the injustices of the corrupt prison system & quietly inspires some of his fellow prison inmates to have a more positive outlook on life. Meanwhile, the Governor of the prison discovers Dufresne's book-keeping talents & recruits him to do a spot of creative accountancy. Fellow inmate, ageing gangster ' Red' (Morgan Freeman), uses his connections to take care of Dufresne's material needs, & narrates the story of his friend's term in jail through to the late Sixties.